Hate T9? Try Q12

[Robert Levy]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.softava.com/q12/index.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.softava.com/q12/index.htm</a><br /><br /></div><img src="http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/images/qwerty.JPG" alt="User submitted image" title="User submitted image"/>Here's an interesting new approach to doing text input on a phone. This patent-pending technology is being called "Q12" and comes from a company called SOFTAVA.<br /><br />"Letters are drawn on the faceplate. Button shapes are modified in order to provide the following effect: Aiming a certain letter the user's finger presses 2 or 3 surrounding buttons simultaneously. Such combination is recognized by phone software as this letter input. There is no need to memorize these combinations - user just aim at the required letters."<br /><br />It's hard to predict how usable this would be, but I like the concept. By taking advantage of the space between each of the 12 standard buttons, this gives you one-click access to every letter without increasing the number of buttons on the device.<br /><br />For more details, check out the linked site. They have a gallery of different keypad designs and a Flash demo that you can use to experiment with the concept.

[Mike Temporale]

Very interesting. However, I'm not sure this is going to take off. Unlike some of the other methods, this requires the keypad to be altered. If it was just a software change, then any user could install the drivers, and use the method. This requires the phone comes bundled with it.

[goofy166]

IMHO This won't work. These keyboards are designed for munchkins, not real people. Its hard enough to hit the right keys. Have you ever watched a body builder or trucker dude try and enter the name of a contact 8)

What would be a lot better is some kind of analog strip around the circumference of the screen with the letters A - Z labeled in the screen itself.

[TANKERx]

That picture really twists my eyes if I scroll it up real fast like. 8O